Knitting machine



Jan. 20, 1942. r WAECHTLER 2,270,361

KNITTING MACHINE Filed May '7, 1958" 3 Sheets-Sheet l 5 f W 7 I6 I 5 FIG1 Q J I3 I: h 45 'INVENTOR \M Mini-A123 ATTOR N EY Jan. 20, 1942. K.WAECHTLER KNITTING MACHINE Filed May '7, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORmum 22.0 fic r53: 53-320 0 38. 583 ta E32: :5

.5 3 352 42:: aziuiaou Jan. 20, 1942. K. WAECHTLE R KNITTING MACHINEFiled May '7, 1938 s SheetsSheet s SQWTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 20, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v KNITTING momma Kurtwaechtlenrhil adelphia, Pa. Application May 7, 1938, Serial No. 206,6061 (01. 66-82) 8 Claims.

My invention is an improvement in knitting machines for knittingdiaphanous full-fashioned silk stockings, and it relates particularly tothe camv motions of machines having general characteristics of theCotton type. Such machines are characterized by an en masse movable bankof needles, and a cycle ,of movement during a part of which, calledcfiuliering, yarn is bent by measuring sinkers to form sequential loopsalong the stationarybank of needles, and during the remainder of which,called knitting,

the measuring sinkers, and usually "dividing sinkers also, together withthe needles have complementary en masse movements imparted thereto tofurther andcomplete the formation of a new row of loops. My invention isapplicable to machines having or omitting dividing sinkers.

A leading object of myinvention is to eliminate or minimize much of thebreaking, stretching and chafing of yarn which occurs duringthe knittingpart of the cycle, and which I have discovered is largely duetoexcessive stresses imparted to the yarn when sinkers recede too slowlyor uncertainly'during the advancement of theneedles to press and thedescent, between the sinkers, of the needles which are positivelyactuated en masse from a positively driven cam and lever mechanism. 2

By my improvements, these defects are eliminated or minimized byimparting a positive and tering of the friction, rod during transitionfrom the couliering to the knitting part of the cycle.

This recoil or chattering, I have obviated by giving to the main shaftof the machine a forward impulse or bias in the transition fromcouliering to knitting. This forward impulse or bias is imparted by theactionof spring and gravity actuated members on declivities of cams inefiecting the first operations in the knitting part of the cycle,thereby preventing retardation, recoil or backlash of the cam shaft andtherethrough of thecouliering mechanism, friction rod and slur bar. Themovements of these grave ity and spring actuated parts down thedeclivities of the cams effect the movement of the catch bar towardsinker engaging position and the downward movement of: the needle bartoward pressing position. The avoidance of impedance of the forwardmotion of the main shaft of the machine at the end of coulieringprovides a steady pull from thecam shaft, through the unyieldingretractile movement to all the sinkers during the pressing and downwardmovements of the needles, which latter are, in accordance with myinvention, actuated by a downwardly biasing but yielding force oractuating means, such as gravitation and spring tension. Such frictionrod and upon the friction box which minimizes or prevents rebound of thecarrier bar when it contacts its end stop, and eliminates any chatter orrecoil of the feed tube against the top edges of projected sinkers, evenwhen the power is thrown off at the end of couliering.

A further object of my invention is to impose a drag or check on theaction of the machine near the end of the knitting part of the cycle tofacilitate stoppage for carrier changing bepositive and unyieldingretraction of the sinkers, 0

is preferably effected by the action of an acclivity on a rotating camwhich imparts a lift to lever mechanism resting thereon and therethroughtransmits a positive retractile movement to a catch bar during theengagement thereof with the sinker butts. This Withdraws the taperednebs of the sinkers from beneath the yarn kinks at a rate-complementaryto the downward movement imparted to the needles by the action ofacoiled sprng or gravity on a lever mechanism whose movement under theinfluence of such yielding force is restrained by the declivity of a campreferably on the same shaft as the first mentioned or catch bar cam.

A further object of my invention is the eliminination of smashes due tothe engagement of the top edges of advanced sinkers by thetip of theyarn-feed-tube caused by the recoil or chatfore beginning the laying andcouliering of yarn for a new course. This drag or impediment is imposedby the concurrent action of cam acclivities in shifting rearwardly thecatch bar and elevating the needlebar to cycle starting posi tions.

The portions ofthe faces of the needle bar up-and-down cam and of thecatch bar shifting cam which are in actidn duringthe couliering portionof the cycle are substantially circular segments,the peripheral pointsof the respective segments being equidistant from their respectivecenters, or nearly so. The faces of these cams which are in actionduring the knitting portion of the cycle are of no greater and aremostly of lesser radii than the projected peripheries of the coulieringportions of the cams and are, in gen- 'eral, concave faces extendingsecantly with rehaving convex segmental faces of longer radii thanusual.

My improvements eliminate the strong, heavy springs and abrupt motionscharacteristic of high speed machines of the Cotton type and permitsmoother operation of such machines at higher speeds, with lessoperating power and with less labor and attention from the operative. Myimprovements further minimize the torque on the cam shaft and permit theutilization of machines having a greater number of knitting heads thanhitherto.

The silk fabric produced by my-improved machine is more uniform and morefree from yarn breakage and holes than hitherto and can be knitted morerapidly.

My improvements are applicable to usual types of machines combiningsequentially movable measuring sinkers and en masse movabledividingsinkers, and to machines of the type disclosed in my application SerialNo. 98,853, filed September 1, 1936, now 'Patent No. 2,187,715, whereofthis application is a continuation in part. In machines having measuringsinkers only, such as disclosed in my above application, even greatersmoothness of operation is secured than in machines ha-ving en massedividing sinkers by imparting a gradual forward movement to the catchbar and a slight forward bias to the machine during couliering by thegravity and spring-tension action of the catch bar mechanism on agradual declivity of the couliering-period face I of the catch bar cam.

The characteristic features and advantages of my improvements willfurther appear from the following description and. the accompanyingdrawings in illustration of embodiments thereof.

In the drawingsFig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a knittingmachine of the "Cotton type including en masse dividing sinkers andhaving my improvements embodied therein, with the parts positioned justafter the beginning of the couliering portion of the cycle; Figs. 2 and3 are enlarged fragmentary detached views showing respectively theneedle bar up-and-down cam and associated lever and the catch barshifting cam and its associated lever in their relative positions aboutthe end of the couliering portion of the cycle; Fig. 4 is a diagrammaticlay-out illustrating the projected contours of the concurrently actingportions of the needle bar up and down cam and catch bar shifting camthroughout the cycle with the lever rollers positioned at the end of thecouliering portion of the cycle; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional viewillustrating the application of my improvements to a knitting machinehaving characteristics of the Cotton type without any en masse dividingsinkers and with pairs of connected measuring sinkers actuatedconsecutively: and. Fig. 6 is a detached enlarged somewhat diagrammaticview illustrating the kinking of the yarn by the consecutively movedpairs of measuring sinkers.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings, myimprovements are embodied in a full-fashioned knitting machine of theCotton type having a series of carrier rods I on which are mounted yarnfeed tubes 2 for laying yarn along a bank of en masse movable needles 3mounted in a needle bar 4 which is fixed to the bracket 5. The carrierrods l are reciprocabie by means of friction boxes 6 mounted on afriction rod 1 which. is moved back and forth by the coulier mechanism-8 which is operated in the usual manner through the shaft 9' from themain cam shaft 9.

As the yarn is laid by the tube 2 along the bank of needles 3, it iskinked by the advance of high or measuring sinkers l0 which are slidahiein the sinker bed II and actuated sequentially by the rocking of thejacks l2 under the impact of a slur l3. The slur I3 is reciprocated bythe slur bar M which is connected with the couliering mechanism andoperated in synchronism with the friction rod 1.

A set of low or dividing sinkers l5 are mounted in the sinker bed H andwhen the advance of the measuring sinkers by the couliering mechanismhas been completed the dividing sinkers are advanced en masse by thecatch bar l6 to subdivide the yarn kinks or loops formed by themeasuring sinkers on each pair of needles 3, the needles being rockedoutwardly toward the fabric take-up roll I! during this advance of thedividing sinkers.

During the couliering of the measuring sinkers Hi the needle bar 4 andthe catch bar I6 are held stationary in the positions shown in Fig. 1.During such period the needle bracket 5 is supported in elevatedposition by the links I8 pivotally mounted on the arms I9 fixed to theneedle bar shaft 20 journalled in the machine frame. The needle ba'rshaft 20 has fixed thereto a lever 2| provided with a roller 22 which,in accordance with my invention rests, during couliering, upon thesegmental circular face 23a of a cam 23 fixed to the main cam shaft 9.The roller 22 is yieldingly pressed against the face of the cam 23 bythe action of gravity and of a light coiled spring 25 anchored to aframe bracket 26.

During the couliering period, the catch bar I6 is held in retractedposition by the links 21 pivotally connected with arms 28 fixed on thecatch bar shaft 29. The catch bar shaft 29 has fixed thereto a lever 30provided with a roller 3| which, in accordance with my invention rests,during couliering, upon the segmental circular face 32a of the cam 32fixed to the main cam shaft 9. The roller 3| is yieldingly held againstthe peripheral face of the cam 32'by the action of gravity and of thelight coiled spring 34 anchored to the frame bracket 35.

In accordance with my invention, the circular segmental coulieringperiod face 23a of the cam 23 is followed by a gradual, slightlyconcave, declivity 23b, and the roller 22, under the pull of gravity andthe spring 25, runs down such declivity toward the axis of the shaft 9and gives the latter a forward bias (in the direction of the arrow Fig.l). The descent of the roller 22 down the declivity 23b yieldinglylowers en masse the bank of needles 3 into position to have their beardspressed against the press face II by the rocking of the bracket 5through the usual press lever mechanism 36, 31 and 38 actuated by theusual cams (not shown) on the main cam shaft 9.

Concurrently with the descent of the roller 22 down the first part ofthe declivity 231), the roller 3|, under the pull of gravity and thelight spring 34, descends the declivity 3217 which succeeds the circularsegment or couliering period face 32a of the cam 32. This descent of theroller 3| down the declivity 32b furthers the forward bias or impulsegiven the cam shaft 9 and'rocks the lever 30 so as to yieldingly advancethe catch bar I6 and the dividing sinkers so that by the time the lastmeasuring sinker has been couliered the catch bar is in position to bedropped into engagement with the butts of the advanced measuring sinkersby the movement of the usual links 39 pivoted on the arms main cam shaft9.

40 of the shaft 4|, which rocks under the control of the lever 42,roller 43 and cam 44 on the It will thus be seen that during thecouliering of the last of the measuring sinkers and the overrun of thefriction rod through thefriction box, the main cam shaft 9 and theparts, in

cluding the friction rod, driven thereby are biased forward by theconcurrent descent 'of the rollers 22 and 3| down the declivities 23band 32b so that the lower end of thetube 2 stands stationacclivity 32d'whichlcontinues to lift the roller 3| and to positively retract thecatchbar l5, and its connected sinkers while the roller22 continues itsdescent down the declivity 230 which succeeds the declivity 23b on theperiphery of the cam 23. This concurrent positive withdrawal H of thesinkers and yielding descent of the needlcs insures that i the inclinedtops of" the sinker nebsare withdrawn from the yarn kinks there on asfast as such kinksiare pulled down bythe yieldingly descending needles,so that constant uniformtcnsionis maintained on the yarn without thepossibility of imposinga' stress thereon which will break, stretchorchafe it.-

When the catch barhasbeen retracted to its" extreme rearward position bythe action of the acclivity 32d, the nebs of the sinkershave beenwithdrawn ,from beneath the kinked yarn which is rapidly drawn downontothe knock-over bits 45 andthrough the fell loops of the fabric: by thedescent of the roller 22 down the steep declivity 23d which succeeds thedeclivity Moon the pe riphery of the cam 23. a a a During the knittingof the new course through,

the fellaloops,- the catch bar is held in its retracted position bytheengagementof the roller 3| with the circular ,segment32e, whichsucceeds the acclivity 32d on the periphery of the cam 32.

,When then'ew course of loops has been formed by the descent of theneedles, the latter are posi- Ill tively elevated by the engagement ofthe roller 22 with the steep acclivity 23e which rocks the lever 2| andraises the: needles to a position slightly above their position duringcouliering.

The. needles are returned to couliering position bytheengagement of theroller 22 with the slight declivity 23 before engagement of the roller22with the beginning of, theicam surface 23a for,

a new couliering operation.

7 puring the early part ofthe ascent of the needles, th'e roller3ldescends the declivity32j of the cam 32 to yieldingly move the catchbar and sinkersforward sumcientlyfor the sinker nebs to preventthe riseof the fabric with the needles. When the beards have cleared the fabric,the

roller 3! is engaged by the vacclivity 32g of the cam 32 to positivelyretract the catch bar and sinkers to their rearmost position before thecatch bar is lifted out of engagement with the sinkers by the action ofthe cam 44 during the passage of the roller 3| over the circular segment 32h of the cam 32.

The concurrence of the-engagement of the rollers ,22 and 3| with theacclivities 23c and advance the measuring sinkers 32;; at the end of theknittingportion of the a cycle tends to retard the cam shaft 9 so that,if the power is thrown off to permit carrier changing, the machine isbrought to a quick stop by its brakes withoutd'anger that themomentum ofthe machine will start the advance of measuring sinkersina'newcouliering operation.

From a consideration of Fig. 4, it will be seen that, during thecouliering period, thereis nei-y ther acceleration or deceleration ofthe machine from the co-action of the needle bar mechanism] and catchbarmechanism with their respective cams 23 and 32 but that at the endofcouliering the co-actioncr the needlebar mechanism and carrier barmechanism with the decliviti'es 23b and 32b has an accelerating effectavoiding recoil, ba'ck la'sh and chatter; that, during the period*occupiedby the reciprocation of the" catch bar-from its frontito rearposition and back again toits front position, the efifect oi thecoactions of the :needle bar mechanism and catch bar, mechanism with theirrespective cams substantialiy counterbalance one another so that neitheran acceleratingnor decelerating effect is given the machine"thereby, andthat, during the retraction of the catch bar to its couliering position,the concurrence of the coactions of the needle bar mechanismand catchbar mech' anisrn with acclivities on their respectivecams tends todecelerate or retard the machine to fac-ilitate stoppage thereof at theend of the knitting portion of thecycle.

In Figs. 5 and 6, Ihave illustrated the embodiment of the presentinvention 'in a knitting m'achine in which high sinkers ill and lowsinkers l5 vare connectedtogether in pairs to form kinking units Illawhich are, advanced consecutively to bend yarn laid by the carrier 2 toform in suc-t cession pairs of bights on opposite sides of alternateneedles of the bankt3, the bights of each pairbeing formed,simultaneously and having a common planetransverse to the axis of thead,- jacent ,needlesgas described in Serial No. 98,853.

inthis construction, theunits Illa are advanced consecutively by thejacks l2 and slur l3inthe samemanner that thejacks and slur ID in theconstruction shown in Fig. 1.,

,The low sinkers I5 do not have elongated butts suchas are carried bythe dividing sinkers I5 for continuous engagement in the slot of thecatch bar l6, and hence there is no necessity for this catch bar being,in retracted position throughout couliering. To further smooth out theaction of the machine, the'couliering period portion 32% of theperipheryof uthe catch bar cam 32 is givenra slight incline toward theaxis of the camshaft 9 so that duringcoulieringthe roller 3| runs down avery gradual declivity,

thereby imparting a very slight forward bias to the cam shaft; and r aslow forward: movement 1 to the catch barjlB, so that at theend ofcoulier:

ingthe catch bar has but a slight forward movement to complete. Thedeclivity32 b may there fore be made slightly shorter or more gradualthan the declivity 32b. however that its cooperation with the catchbarmechanism, needle bar mechanism and declivity 23b avoids anydeceleration or recoil or chattering of the machine at the end ofcculiering;

The action of the camsdurirgthe remander of the cycle is the same whenthe yarn k nking twin units Illa are used as when the sequentiallycouliered sinkers Ill and en masse movable sinkmy application It stillhas such pitch.

ers I5 are used, and hence need not be again described.

In whatever machine my invention is embodied, the catch bar and needlebar mechanisms both have a tendency to accelerate or bias forward themain shaft of the machine at the completion of couliering" and todecelerate or retard the main shaft of themachine toward the end ofknitting. When the descent of the needles movesthe yarns down againstthe sinkers, the needles are yieldingly moved while the'sinkers arepositively retracted; whereas when the sinkers move the yarn forwardagainst the needies, the sinkers are yieldingly moved and the needlesare positively supported. These functions are inexpensively effected, asdescribed, by mounting the needle bar and catch bar on lever mechanismswhich are pulled gravitationally, and, if desired,'by light springpressure, against the peripheries of cams on the cam shaft. Such camssupport the lever mechanisms against the gravitation and spring pullthereon during the intermittent actuation of the couliering mechanismfrom the cam shaft and both have declivities down which the levermechanisms move at or about the end of the couliering movement, when theyarn feeder and slur have completed their work. Both mechanisms therebyimpart a forward bias or tendency to the machine about the end of eachstroke of the slur to avoid chattering or re'coil of the yarn feeder.The face of the cam supporting the needle bar lever mechanism continuesto decline to permit the downward movement of the needles during thepositive retraction of the catch bar by the engagement with its levermechanism of an acclivity on its supporting cam. The needle bar israised by the engagement with its lever mechanism of an acclivity on itscam, while the catch bar is yieldingly advanced and positively retractedby the coaction of its lever with a declivity and acclivity on its camso that the forward motion of the main shaft of the machine is retardedby acclivities on both cams just before the next couliering movement.

By my improvements it is possible to knit fine rubber yarn into fabricof uniform appearance, and to use in a machine of given gauge needleshaving finer shanks than heretcfore,'and to avoid the robbing of sinkerloops by the rising needles, thereby producing a fabric having sinkerloops and needle loops of more uniform and equal size. Having describedmy invention, I claim:

1. In a knitting machine, a cam shaft having cams thereon, reciprocatingyarn laying mecha-' nism and reciprocating'slur mechanism opera tivelyconnected'with saidcam shaft, and needle bar mechanism and catch barmechanism operatively connected with cams aforesaid and both imparting aforward bias thereto about the end of each stroke of the slur mechanism,the respective cams and the mechanisms associated therewith impartingopposing tendencies to the cam shaft during a major part of theloopforming cycle.

2. In a knitting machine, a cam shaft having cams thereon, reciprocatingyarn laying mechanism and reciprocating slur mechanism operativelyconnected with said cam shaft, and needle bar mechanism and catch barmechanism operatively connected with cams aforesaid and both retardingthe forward movement thereof before the beginning of each stroke of saidslur mechanism,-the respective cams and the mechanisms associatedtherewith imparting opposing tendencies to the cam shaft during the partof the loop forming cycle after the needles are moved against thepresser bar until the catch bar is partly advanced.

3. In a knitting machine, a cam shaft having cams thereon, needle barmechanism and catch bar mechanism operatively connected with camsaforesaid, one of said cams having an acclivity engaging the catch barmechanism to retract the catch bar and the other of said cams having adeclivity engaged by said needle bar mechanism and effecting thelowering of said needle bar mechanism concurrently with the retractionof said catch bar, saidcams and the mechanisms associated therewithrespectively imparting opposing tendencies to the cam shaft until thecatch bar is partly advanced and then concurrently imparting a retardingtendencies to the cam shaft.

4. In a knitting machine, the combination with needle bar mechanism,catch bar mechanism, couliering mechanism and a cam shaft, of means forintermittently operating said couliering mechanism from said cam shaft,9. pair of cams on said cam shaft, each cam having substantiallycircular segments supporting said needle bar mechanism and said catchbar mechanism respectively during the operation of said coulieringmechanism, each of said cams having a declivity down which said needlebar mechanism and catch bar mechanism respectively move at the end ofsaid couliering operation and each of saidcams having an acclivity upwhich said needle mechanism and catch bar mechanism respectively movejust before the next operation of said couliering mechanism, said camshaft being thereby biased forward at the end of one coulieringoperation .and retarded immediately before the beginning of the nextcouliering operation, and said cams being so shaped that the mechanismsassociated therewith respectively exert opposing tendencies on the camshaft between said forward-biasing and retarding actions.

5. In a knitting machine, the combination with needle bar mechanism,catch bar mechanism, couliering mechanism and a cam shaft, of means forintermittently operating said couliering mechanism from said cam shaft,a pair of cams on said cam shaft, one of said cams having asubstantially circular segment supporting said needle bar mechanismduring the operation of said couliering and the other of said camshaving a gradual declivity supporting said catch bar mechanism duringthe operation of said couliering mechanism, each of said cams having adeclivity down which said needle bar mechanism and catch bar mechanismrespectively move at the end of said couliering operation and each ofsaid cams having an acclivity up which said needle bar mechanism andcatch bar mechanism respectively move just before the next operation ofsaid couliering mechanism, said cam shaft being thereby biased forwardat the end of one needle bar mechanism, a cam on said cam shaftoperatively connected with said catch bar mechanism, said first namedcam having a declivity down which said needle bar mechanism moves tolower the needle. bar between the operations of said coulieringmechanism, and said second named cam having an acclivity actingconcurrently with a part of said declivity to positively retract said.catch bar during the lowering of said needle-bar and said cams havingsurfaces so shaped that the mechanisms associated therewith exertopposing tendencies on the cam shaft after the lowering of the needlebar until the catch bar is partly advanced, and then exerting concurrentretarding tendencies on the cam shaft.

'7. A knitting machine having a-needle bar, sinkers, a yarn feederextending below the tops of said sinkers, a slur for advancing saidsinkers sequentially after the passage of said feeder, a catch bar foroperating said sinkers after the vance of the sinkers, one of said camshaving an acclivity rocking its complementary lever mechanism'topositively retract said catch bar during the lowering of the needle barby the other of said lever mechanisms, and said cams and levermechanisms exerting opposing tendencies on said camshaft between thelowering of the needle bar and the partial advance of the catch bar. v8. A balanced driving mechanism for a fullfashioned knitting machinecomprising "a main cam shaft having a plurality of cams thereon, a catchbar shifting lever fulcrumed adjacent to the peripheryof the other ofsaid cams below advance thereof by said slur,a cam shaft, means foroperating said slur and feeder intermittently from said camshaft, andmeans comprising lever mechanisms and cams on said shaft for supportingand operating said needle bar and catch bar and characterized bygravitational engagement between said lever mechanisms and cams and bysaid cams both having declivities down which the respective levermechanisms move after the advance of all said sinkers, and

both having acclivities which rock said lever the plane of the rollerfirst named, a spring lying beneath said cam shaft and biasing saidneedle bar lifting" lever, said cams having peripheries providingacclivities simultaneously engaging said rollers to decelerate therotation of the cam shaft at the end of the knitting movement of themachine and providing declivities i simultaneously engaging 'saidrollers to accelerate the rotation of the cam shaft at the beginning ofthe knitting movement of the machine.

KURT WAECHILER.

mechanisms immediately before the next ada

